The Internet has a Face

With YouTube, a text world of interaction and networking is now given face and a persona. Not only for entertainment, the YouTube website is a platform for communication not previously used by the average web surfer before its birth in early 2005. Since then, this website has hosted not just coca cola and mentos experiments, but a network of vloggers who have meaningful interactions beyond the limits of text. Users are now seeing and subscribing to one another, attaching video responses along the way which embrace comedy and compassion, as well as criticism and conversation. Before, we were reliant upon what the user has expressed through words, however, when one can read beyond words through visuals, the communication seems to become more “human and personal.” If there was a fear that the internet was making society antisocial, vlogging would seek to prove otherwise.

With that said, the following video was created to explore the content and purpose of vlogs, as well as the networking and interconnectivity as users respond and reach out to eachother within and beyond the YouTube website. Many of the clips were found through a simple search for vlogs, resulting in a better understanding of the use of such a medium. Enjoy!
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I use technology to learn about life by going onto the internet and searching and reading about facts. I also use my cell phone to talk to friends and family. I watch television to learn about what’s going on in the world.

Technology helps us engage at a higher level by allowing us to go more places and find more facts than a text book can do. Technology lets us also find facts quicker than having to go through a filing cabinet or having to go through a text book.

Technology could be used in school by allowing us to use the internet to find facts rather than using a text book that would take a long time to find rather than just using the internet. Also we could watch movies to learn, a visual perspective.

“The Internet Has a Face” is a short video by Becky Roth, a student at Kansas State University. The video is about YouTube redefining the use of the internet. People create video blogs to talk about their lives and reach out to others for support. It has even gone as far as YouTube members coming together to fundraise for people in need. Roth makes an effective argument showing YouTube as a social network in a positive and touching way.

The video shows that video blogging and YouTube is not just for the younger generations, a variety of clips are shown from people in their 20s to people in their 60s. In addition, YouTube is not just to have fun and joke around people blog about serious issues. For example, “YouTuber’s Come Together for Jacey.” In which YouTube members joined together to support a young boy named Jacey.

The text in the video helps to show the positive face of YouTube. The text was made simple, black background with white lettering. It doesn’t take away from any part of the video yet it stands out. The text is only a few sentences but only a few words appear at a time, which makes the argument more powerful. The music is also simple. It is just instruments at the beginning, they don’t overpower and the beat of the music works well with the video. At the end of the video the music changes to someone singing in an uplifting way, which is when the members of YouTube are talking about fundraising.

Roth had to do extensive research to find video blogs which would communicate her message—this shows pathos and logos. Through her research Roth shows she knows what YouTube is about. I see a lot of pathos in the video. The part where one female blogger states, “January is a hard month for me. Right now I should be preparing for the birth of my son, but I’m not as you guys already know” makes me sad and sympathetic for the woman. Also, when the bloggers want to join together to help out other YouTube member’s gives a sense of empowerment, that you can help make peoples life change for the better.

The piece would not be nearly as strong if it was done with no visual just words. Seeing the people makes you realize it’s not a joke people are really out there doing this. If it was just written text it wouldn’t be as effective either. It’s hard to see character through words. In the video you hear events in people’s lives and it makes it much realer.

After watching the video I want to see more about them joining together and fundraising. It’s great that YouTube has made people want to help others, and it is great people can reach out to others for support. YouTube is only 3 years old and it has begun to evolve the use of the internet already. As years go on what else is to come? To conclude, YouTube is the internets face.

Katherine Blake
English 112
15 September 2008
Rhetorical Analysis of “The Internet has a Face”

“The Internet has a Face” by Michael Wesch is an argument for the positive use of You Tube. The video really pulls at your heart strings. Mr. Wesch uses pathos by allowing us to hear a bit of Mel’s story and the glimpse of a group of strangers coming together to help Jacey. Mr. Wesch makes it seem like You Tube is a great outlet for
everyday people to express themselves or tell their story in a casual way. People are able to get their story out across the web and influence the lives and direction of complete strangers. Mr. Wesch uses minimal, but powerful text to help us see his vision. Words like: “Community, humanity, compassion, love, and movement”.
The video really made me feel like I was in the room with those people. It seemed as though I and the person in the video were having a one on one conversation with each other in their living rooms or they were in my office. An example is, the older gentleman who was smoking and talking about how You Tube is a great medium. I can see how You Tube is a great source for connecting people to one another who have never met.

“The Internet has a Face” is a short video by Becky Roth, posted in YouTube. YouTube has been criticized many times for their videos, but in this video we actually see how we can use it also to connect people together. Becky Roth, very sensitive and very nicely shows how this “machine” YouTube can benefit to other people.
In this video, the author is using mostly pathos. People are sharing via YouTube and many other websites their emotions and feelings, but not only with plain text, these days “the Internet has a face”. Becky Roth uses a part from vlog of Mel’s story and the reaction of people around the world. Watching people response to this story helps Roth to touch our hearts. Moreover, showing text in the video is a clever stroke to every viewer feelings. Words like: “honesty, humor, compassion, and love” even as text makes the argument more powerful.
This video is a very beautiful way to show to all the Internet users that they are not alone, that they can be community, and that they can still support and help each other. Sharing our own information in Internet is not always good decision for us, but in this case YouTube and Becky Roth’s video make me realize that there are still good people in this world. “YouTuber’s Come Together for Jacey!”
I as a viewer, watching these stories of some strangers really touch the human inside me. One for all and all for one using vlogs, blogs, and any other tool for communication hopefully will make this world a better place for living. In conclusion, Yes I do believe in YouTube, and yes Internet has a heart.

“The Internet has a Face” was created by Becky Roth. It is a short video that makes its way into your heart. Roth effectively used visual text, images, and sounds to bring your heart into the video. Roth kept the text to a minimal which made the video more effective in the way that it was more entertaining. “The Internet has a Face” shows viewers the meaningful side of YouTube and similar sites.
Roth’s video effectively used much pathos, starting with the selection of music, Porcelain by Moby. Porcelain is just soft enough so that you can hear it in the background without it taking away from the people talking. Another way Roth used pathos is with selection of people in the video. Most of the people are showing a lot of emotion, mostly sadness. It also draws viewers in so that they feel they are connecting with the faces in the video.
“The Internet has a Face” was a touching video showing that there is a deeper and more meaningful side to video blogging. It shows that the internet can have a heart as well as “a face”. The video was simple but effective. After watching the clip you are left thinking only positive things about video blogging. I agree with Danchev’s statement “I do believe in YouTube, and yes Internet has a heart”.

Becky Roth made a short video entitled “The Internet Has a Face”. It examined how the internet has transformed from a way to receive information to a way to communicate with people all over the world. The video uses short clips from the popular website YouTube and shows how people ‘video blog’ or ‘vlog’. Her video also shows how vloggers come together in times of need, as the video shows how these vloggers pulled together a fundraiser for someone in their vlogging community.

Her video uses lots of emotion to get the point across that when someone needs help people are there for you. Watching this video, you feel sad for the girls, you agree with the man who’s smoking, you feel empowered when the woman states she found a hero. These strangers are willing to listen and give you their advice even if they live across the country or even across the world. She chose small clips from vlogger’s videos that when put together reveal an incredible amount of emotion and compassion for others. The work she had to do, going through probably thousands of vlogs to find these small segments show she has a great deal of passion for filmmaking.

Her video uses visual images and text to convey her message. The short clips from people’s vlogs really bring out the meaning of the text she uses. Words such as ‘compassion, honesty, humanity, love’ would not have been so moving if they were not inserted between clips of people revealing their deep emotions and feelings. The music was simple, although it really influenced the emotion of the film.

Watching this video made me believe in people and in humanity again. Everyone goes through tough times, and his or her belief in people and in humanity will drop. This video showed me that people care about other people, even if they have never met face-to-face. Roth made an effective video that shows how people spill their emotions to strangers, and how those strangers react and help. The video also showed me that the Internet (and in particular YouTube) helps people from all across the globe connect in ways that without the Internet would be impossible.

“The Internet has a Face” is a short video by Becky Roth, a student at Kansas
State university, the video shows the human side of the internet. That it can reach out
In a few minute and connect people together all around this world.
Roth shows all three pathos, ethos and logos. With pathos she shows that people still have compassion, understanding and love for each other. Roth shows this by the way strangers come together to support and help each other.
Like the way everybody came together to raise money for Jaycee and how Mel told a little about her story. It also showed the entertainment side of people.
With logos, Roth had to due some intense research to fine a format that could get this short video to touch so many people. With ethos Roth’s video shows how she allowed each person to be themselves, the young and the old alike.
The video kept your attention had you wondering who was next, what were they going to do or what was their story.
The internet has come so far with the blog and videos now it doesn’t seem so
Impersonal it has a face thanks to Becky Roth.

Aileen Marquand
English 112
September 17, 2008
‘The Internet has a face’ by Becky Roth is a video that depicts the current evolution of the internet from being a source of objective information to its transformation into a subjective experience. This video captures the viewers attention and curiosity by using actual people who are sharing themselves with the world. No longer is the internet anonymous and virtual, it is in real time with real emotions and issues that connect total strangers into a community.
This video effectively uses visual text, images, and sound to convey its message to the audience. The text consists of mostly small words and phrases that introduce and translate the issues and emotions presented by the people. The preceding words seem to amplify the emotions evoked in the viewer without dominating the video images. Elements of pathos and logos are created using the images and video of the talking people.
This video definitely succeeds in its effort to inspire and unite people through the use of a variety of emotions such as humor, sadness, and sympathy using the internet as a vehicle of humanity. Initially, when I first viewed this video I questioned the sanity of why people would disclose themselves in such a personal way for all the world to see. I soon realized after studying the video, that in the question, the answer lies. The internet offers a way to be a part of something bigger, a way to be heard.

After watching “The Internet Has A Face,” a film created by Becky Roth, it is easy to pinpoint her argument. This being that the internet is not just words, symbols, statistics and answers; it has a face and that face is YouTube. This is a strong argument that emphasizes the use of visual text, audio and visual images to convey her ideas and opinions to the audience. The film is 4 minutes and 42 seconds long. In the allotted time she does much to prove her point by only using 81 words of text, establishing her main points on audio from the “YouTubers” pictured.

Using the quote, “The internet is no longer just text; the internet has a face, many faces.”, she states her argument clearly right off the get go. Providing each set of text with a face to support each statement.

Logos was not used very much aside with respect to fact that one can see how the fundraiser for a “Tuber in need” statistically pairing faces with actions this shows the logos technique. Pathos can be seen in the same instance where the people are drawn by love to one another through YouTube and when this little girl who is need of aid shows up the Tubers come together and help her. This shows emption, as well as the visual text; honesty, humor, compassion, and love. Ethos is obvious in the idea that these people have recorded their ideas and thoughts and put them out into the public. Drawing information from all over the world into one place we can view different aspects of a situation from millions of people’s perspectives.

Tatyana Kalmetova
ENG112
September 16,2008
I really liked a short video, about five minutes long, “The internet has a face”. It was made by Becky Roth, who is a student at Kansas State University, Digital Ethnography. This video is about YouTube. I think it is very effective video. It says that “the Internet is no longer just text. It has faces…many faces…faces with voices.” The Internet has humanity. It shows how people can not just have fun, using the Internet, but also help and support each other. For example, it shows how YouTube made people come together to support a sick boy Jacey.
The video shows people’s faces, how they talk, which made video more effective. It also has music, Porcelain by Moby, which is very calm and not distracting. It goes with the video very well. The video also has text, which is just phrases or short sentences, that help to understand what the author wanted to tell us in this video.
There are a lot of pathos in this video. People are shearing their feelings with each other. One girl in the video says that she has signed up for the YouTube dating service. Another lady says: “January was a hard month for me. Right now I should be preparing for the birth of my son, but I’m not as you guys already know.” Others respond and support them in their situations.
The video has logos also. The author tries to show that people can learn from YouTube. “We are learning from each other and about ourselves.” YouTube can be useful for people. People of different ages are joined by YouTube.
I think that Becky did a wonderful job. Her video is very effective, and it really explains the way she feels about YouTube.

[...] Digital Ethnography, the people that brought us the edublogger smash-hit “The Machine is Using Us,” has put out a new video entitled “The Internet has a Face.” From their post introducing the video: “Before, we were reliant upon what the user has expressed through words, however, when one can read beyond words through visuals, the communication seems to become more â€œhuman and personal.â€ If there was a fear that the internet was making society antisocial, vlogging would seek to prove otherwise.” [...]

[...] ‘The Internet has a face’ by Becky @ Digital Ethnography, Kansas State University. With YouTube, a text world of interaction and networking is now given face and a persona. Not only for entertainment, the YouTube website is a platform for communication not previously used by the average web surfer before its birth in early 2005. Since then, this website has hosted not just coca cola and mentos experiments, but a network of vloggers who have meaningful interactions beyond the limits of text. Users are now seeing and subscribing to one another, attaching video responses along the way which embrace comedy and compassion, as well as criticism and conversation. Before, we were reliant upon what the user has expressed through words, however, when one can read beyond words through visuals, the communication seems to become more â€œhuman and personal.â€ If there was a fear that the internet was making society antisocial, vlogging would seek to prove otherwise. [...]